Desktop De-Clutter…

What does ‘desktop’ de-clutter mean to you? For some of us, our minds go immediately to the physical top of our work desks…maybe even the space around you as you read this. Did you glance at your desk and think ‘yup?’ Meanwhile for others, our minds dash to our computer screens, assessing the jumble of icons that stare back at us.

In either case, we often feel overwhelmed by whatever systems we do or do not have in our world – whether paper or electronic. With increased information flying at us everyday it can be a struggle to keep up, adding to our To Do lists until we feel like we’re drowning.

A fabulous example of desktop overwhelm is the profound question of our techi era: to print or not to print? For people who are drawn to printing, the challenge starts with a desire to read the document in its tangible, touchable form – maybe it’s easier on the eyes, maybe it feels more ‘real,’ maybe…. Only then what?  Having printed it, where do you now store the paper? With all the other papers in an avalanche caving in on you??

The near equivalent can occur even if you don’t print. You may save documents, website, emails etc. on your desktop in the hopes of referencing them later. Only do you really ever go back to them? What if you can’t find them amongst so many precious saved icons? Surrounding yourself with little pictures like a mosaic, where do you start your work day when you’re overwhelmed looking at your computer screen!?

Now maybe you’re like me, at times I tend to get organized in one of these areas…only to notice information overload sneaked around me through the other avenue. It’s like feeling strongly positioned in one shoe, while the other one dangles.

Recently, I was feeling lightened by setting up a new office space system: new drop file folders all labelled, desk trays each assigned a role, large desk calendar for article/blog planning, new earphones for skype calls, and my 2012 Vision Board watching over me. I felt ‘on’ it!

It was when I opened a fresh portable hard drive to begin my computer organizing that the other shoe dropped. In preparing my physical space, I neglected my cyber space. I now dreaded opening my computer for fear of being greeted by all the emails, Facebook updates, and icons screaming their neglect at me.

Surely there can be a balance? Today, I put on both shoes: I am making it an admin operations day. Half the day will be spent organizing my physical office space – file papers, consolidate To Do lists, return phone calls, etc. The other half of the day will be dedicated to cleaning up my online mess – address the email backlog, file saved icons into folders, prep my ezine, etc.

Sounds like a great ‘evensy’ plan…only how about the things that bridge both worlds? Here is my sticking point…where does bookkeeping fit when it involves both paper receipts and electronic files? How about planning, when things need to be organized across both paper and electronic means? What about articles and blog that start as hand-written journal entries but transform into typed online messages? Which camp do these fall into? It’s this gap that so often leaves some tasks on my desktop (either desktop!) un-touched for longer than serves me.

To continue the de-clutter challenge this month, let’s share our tips and tricks to rid all our worlds or excess desktop debris. Which are you more prone to – computer or paper clutter? What do you do to organize and limit your desktop clutter? What measure do you use to decide: to print or not to print? How do you feel desktop clutter weighs you down?

BTW – having taken this blog idea from a journal entry and now typed it up, I will remove the journal note and put it in the bin. Meanwhile, I have just saved the typed article on my computer desktop along with ALL the other icons that await de-cluttering!